I've made "diet plans" before, but never, ever have I put together an "Eating Plan" like this one. Thank you Zelma for the inspiration in pulling together a plan for 6 meals a day with ideas for foods that require little preparation (I hate cooking) and that I actually like (I'm a very picky eater - no seafood, few veggies).

I put this in PDF, figured most people have Acrobat Reader?

Please tell me - do you think I'm on the right track? See flaws? Any tips and suggestions are welcome!
BTW, these meals are not necessarily going to occur in the order they are in, it's just a template. And the reason no drinks are being counted is that I drink water all day. Water, water, water!

Hi Eileen. I had a little trouble deciphering the attachment. There was no dinner there for one.

As far as everything else goes. I think you might want to add some protein with the oatmeal. It will help stave off the affects of the carbs. How about an egg white omlette with it?

I also see lots of margarine. And a lot of bread. I'd love to see more veggies and protein there. How about a nice big salad and a can of tuna in water for lunch? Or a veggie burger type product, I love the Morning Star Farms Chick Pattie or Spicy Bean Burger, along with a small whole wheat pita bread, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and perhaps a salad?

Maybe you could lose the pretzels and the bread and margarine, how about some cut up veggies - grape tomatoes, baby carrots, string beans, cucumbers and some hummus? Or a fat free/sugar free yogurt with some Fiber One Cereal mixed in.

Also I see raisins. Raisins are loaded with sugar. I'd much rather see a different veggie there or maybe some measured out slivered almonds?

I see what you mean about the lack of protiens vs. the carbs in there. I like the idea of the eggwhite omelet with the oatmeal. And I love the idea of pita bread and yay I love slivered almonds!

My problem is still my weirdo taste buds! It's almost impossible to make suggestions for me because there are so many foods that I will not eat. Not being purposefully difficult here, I honestly cannot force down certain foods. Of your other suggestions (veggie burger, chick pattie, spicy bean burger, tomatoes, cucumbers, hummus, and yogurt), sorry but I wouldn't eat any of that.

BTW, dinner was on page 2.

Okay, it's still a work in progress, I'll keep trying to think of more foods! Thank you for your suggestions though!

Hi Eileen. I found your dinner. Thank goodness. You had me worried there for a minute.

I am seeing lots of carbs though and lots of food with little or no nutritional value - FF sour cream and mayo and the such.

You ARE a work in progress. I do think it's important to get your portions (calories) under control first and foremost. And then the better, healthier eating will evolve. It DOESN'T all have to be perfect at first, or ever actually, but you know what I mean.

I'd also love for you to experiment with some different foods. Different recipes and different methods of cooking them. You'd be surprised at what you like when you play around with certain foods.

For instance, I always hated tomatoes. HATED them. Loved tomato sauce, but never the actual tomato. Until I tried cutting them up teeny tiny in a salad along with finely diced onion and finely diced cucumbers. Adding a vinegar, water, salt, pepper and oregano dressing. Then I tried roasting them and adding them to chicken breasts and salmon. YUM. Then I got into grape tomatoes.

By the way, chicken breasts are sooo very healthy and very, very versatile. Salmon is another great food. Either of them are great for lunch and/or dinner.

I also discovered foods I never even heard of, like acorn, butternut and spaghetti squash. Also roasting veggies gives them a whole different taste. Roasted string beans are MARVELOUS. As is roasted cauliflower, bell peppers and zucchini, to name just a few.

You will also be shocked how eventually your tastes will change. This is a GOOD thing.

I see what you mean about the lack of protiens vs. the carbs in there. I like the idea of the eggwhite omelet with the oatmeal. And I love the idea of pita bread and yay I love slivered almonds!

My problem is still my weirdo taste buds! It's almost impossible to make suggestions for me because there are so many foods that I will not eat. Not being purposefully difficult here, I honestly cannot force down certain foods. Of your other suggestions (veggie burger, chick pattie, spicy bean burger, tomatoes, cucumbers, hummus, and yogurt), sorry but I wouldn't eat any of that.

BTW, dinner was on page 2.

Okay, it's still a work in progress, I'll keep trying to think of more foods! Thank you for your suggestions though!

Do you like peanut butter? You can mix peanut butter into the oatmeal, it makes it taste like a big cookie.

If no, then how about a handful of nuts? Almonds, walnuts, etc.

Add protein to the breakfast, and a piece of fruit.

The dinner looked ok.

You still need some more protein during the rest of the day. Low fat cheese stick? Beans? A scrambled egg? Lowfat cheese (laughing cow) and higher fiber crackers?

Oh & Wheat Thins & pretzels? Are pretty much dust. The popcorn is a good snack, lots of fiber. So if you can switch out the pretzels & crackers with something more filling that would be good.

Sugarfree Jello or pudding every day? Also not very filling. Since you don't like yogurt, how about a glass of milk or a serving of ricotta cheese mixed with honey? I didn't see a whole lot of dairy.

Amazingly, I liked all the foods you suggested - well, except perhaps the combination of ricotta cheese and honey, lol, can't say I ever tried that!

I'm taking your and Robin's suggestions and trying to build them into a new updated version of my plan. In the meantime I'd still welcome other comments and suggestions! You all have NO IDEA how excited I am about this! NEVER BEFORE have I had a plan that looked like this one...

...I could eat like this for the rest of my life! And that's the point, eh?!

Eileen - I am SO glad that you can see a way to eat well that can be done ALWAYS, not just while you are losing weight. People ask me how I have managed to keep the weight off for almost 2 years and I tell them that I didn't do anything different to what I was doing while I was losing weight. It was such an easy lifestyle to follow that I didn't need to change anything. My body reached a weight/size that it seems to have wanted to stop at and I am letting it stay there for a while. The amount of calories I was taking in and working off each day just balanced out in the long run. Well... that seems to be what happened anyway.

You have had some great suggestions and you will find that more variety will be added as you go along.

Do you have any plans for exercise yet? There is no rush for that, but I found that even a little extra movement each day made me feel SO good and I felt quite proud of myself that I was making such changes to my life. I only started of VERY slowly, walking/marching to music, but I also loved walking outside with my hubby.

I look forward to hearing/seeing how you progress and I wish you the absolute best in your journey to a healthier YOU.

Take care,

Zelma

__________________Zelma - Loving the freedom of being half the size I used to be!

Zelma! You know, of course that you are THE Zelma, the one whose story so inspired and encouraged me! I'm so glad that you dropped in!!!

My preferred exercise is bicycling. Last April I bought a new bike as a reward for being quit from smoking for four months, and over the summer my husband and I bicycled every day together, 3-5 miles each evening and then 10-15 miles on weekend days. I wasn't dieting at all but I was just starting to lose weight when I got sick.

I ended up lying in bed for over a month (between doctors appointments to try and figure out what was wrong with me). I was finally diagnosed as having Graves Disease, an immune disorder that causes the thyroid to be hyperactive. Because the thyroid controls one's metabolism, my body was seriously messed up but since I was so sick I wasn't exercising, I didn't lose any weight. Then the drugs they prescribed, unfortunately turned my metabolism down - way down, to the point that I became hypo instead of hyper (hypo makes you feel exhausted, btw, so I still wasn't exercising). Guess what, I gained over 30 pounds just in the past 5 months.

My thyroid is stabilized (somewhat) now. I haven't ridden my bike much since August, but it's time to get back on! I'll be very happy if I can get back to the routine of 3-5 miles a day with at least one longer run on the weekend. I also have an exercise tape that I like and I'll be doing that (30-minute workout) 5 days a week. Between moving my hiney and changing my eating, I should be seeing RESULTS soon!

Eileen - It is SO great to know that I am inspiring others on their own journeys. I know that I read LOTS of weight loss stories while I was losing weight and looked at LOTS of before/after pictures and it was certainly inspiring, but I was also determined to be one of those stories one day and to inspire others. I actually just read your exercise post on another thread and it looks as though YOU are becoming an inspiration to others as well. Good for you!!!

I am SO envious of you and your bike riding. Hubby and I have talked now and then about getting bikes, but we would have to drive a little to find somewhere safe to ride them. Around here traffic isn't that 'bike friendly'. It may still be something we consider though.

I am sorry that you had those medical problems towards the end of 2007. I hope it is all sorted out now and you get back into your routine. I know how frustrating it can be to get into a good routine with exercise and then to not be able to physically be able to do it. As in "the mind is willing (and determined) but the body is not up to it." I only had that happen a few times, and only for less than a week each time and I was really frustrated at the time. I actually got the jitters wanting to get up and MOVE.

I truly am so happy to be able to help you in any way and I am SO looking forward to seeing many more posts from you, letting us share in your progress joys... and low moments as well, if/when they occur, as we may be able to help in some way.

Take care,

Zelma

__________________Zelma - Loving the freedom of being half the size I used to be!

Eileen, you've gotten a lot of great ideas and suggestions from the previous posters. I only wanted to add that what really works is what you can stick to long term. It looks like you have a plan for portion control and that is definitely the first step. Once you get that down, then may be the time to start trying to incorporate more veggies and more nutritional dense foods. (I still have a fun sized bag of M&Ms everyday - 90 completely nutritionally empty calories but I have worked it into my plan and make sure that my other foods have better nutritional value).

Also, consider taking a multivitamin.

Best wishes and keep us posted!

__________________Gina"What would you attempt, if you knew you could not fail?"

Hi Eileen! I think it's great that you are taking the time to PLAN your plan. I love that you call it your "Eating Plan" vs. you "diet". Planning is a huge part of successful weight loss. The first thing that jumped out at me looking at you plan so far was the lack of lean protein as well. I know on days when I eat calorie amts you are going for (I only eat 1200-1400 when I need a low day here and there - my average is 1800) I would need more protein to keep me satisfied. Do you like protein shakes? I don't use them all the time, but for a quick meal/snack they are great with a handful of berries added. Actually I find that balancing my meals/snacks with foods from carbs, fat and protein helps me stay on plan. Also, don't be afraid to try new things, things you think you don't like may become new favorites! GL!

__________________

Norathere is no miracle fix. eat less. move more. repeat. the end.
"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." -M ThatcherMini Goals:10% Weight Loss (276)| No longer morbidly obese (250)

Hi Eileen! I don't have much to add to everyone's suggestions. They've pretty much covered anything I'd add. I just want to encourage you to eat some form of protein with every meal or snack. You will feel great and probably never be hungry.

Rawk that bike, girl!! I am addicted to biking! Another possible suggestion on the salad front, if you are eating iceberg lettuce...have you ever tried spring mix? It's got way more nutrients than iceberg lettuce...tastes better, too IMHO.

You can train your taste buds. Before, there was nothing I hated more than the thought of steamed veggies or veggies in general. Many an attempted diet fell by the wayside with that. When I began losing my weight, I laid off carbs and had to fill my belly with fiber full foods and that really meant veggies. I started eating them to fill up and I still do that, but I have come to enjoy and crave the taste of veggies and i am lazy, so they're either raw or they go in the wonderful invention called microwave steam bags!

Anyway, you can't discount the nutritional value of veggies, salads are great but depending what you put in them there may not be much in there but water. Fiber will do more for your body, and think of all the nutrients!

That's my own little piece of advice.

At your weight, I wouldn't worry so much about the margarine or mayo you are using, you'll lose weight.. as long as you stick to the serving sizes in those jars.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eileen2bLean

My problem is still my weirdo taste buds! It's almost impossible to make suggestions for me because there are so many foods that I will not eat. Not being purposefully difficult here, I honestly cannot force down certain foods. Of your other suggestions (veggie burger, chick pattie, spicy bean burger, tomatoes, cucumbers, hummus, and yogurt), sorry but I wouldn't eat any of that.

Great ideas from everyone. Also for protein in the patmeal you can add some Egg Beaters to your hot oatmeal (not TOO hot or it cooks the eggs in bits) and it is creamy and you can't taste the egg. Just gives some protein.